The hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus has already come out against a new short-term spending bill designed to avert a government shutdown, saying the continuing resolution is prolonging “Pelosi levels” of spending.
With the first appropriations bill deadline set for Jan. 19 as per the laddered continuing resolution passed last year, Congress is left with just days either to pass each appropriations measure or extend the deadlines with another continuing resolution.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced a new continuing resolution Sunday night to push the laddered measure’s deadlines for appropriations bills to March 1 and March 8.
“The @HouseGOP is planning to pass a short-term spending bill continuing Pelosi levels with Biden policies, to buy time to pass longer-term spending bills at Pelosi levels with Biden policies,” the Freedom Caucus wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday night. “This is what surrender looks like.”
One of the principal reasons cited for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster last year was his failure to restore regular order to the appropriations process. However, hard-line members have said they’re willing to give Johnson some time to address the problems he was handed.
But the group hasn’t taken the threat of a motion to vacate for Johnson off the table. Prominent member Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) recently said the option wasn’t being ruled out.
Fortunately for Johnson, he won’t have to rely on the votes of the small GOP faction to pass the spending measure.
In a Sunday evening statement, Johnson said, “Because the completion deadlines are upon us, a short continuing resolution is required to complete what House Republicans are working hard to achieve: an end to governance by omnibus, meaningful policy wins, and better stewardship of American tax dollars.”
While the Freedom Caucus was unwilling to entertain it, the House Democrats plan to support it.
“I am in strong support of the effort to keep the appropriations process moving forward and avoid a disruptive partial government shutdown,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) wrote in a dear colleague letter to the Democratic caucus on Sunday.
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With Democratic support, Johnson will likely have no problem garnering the majority of support for the measure, which is necessary for it to pass the House.
However, he could put himself at further risk for the low-threshold motion to vacate from the hard-line conservative wing of his conference.